


Baker's secret

by georgiagirlagain



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Darcy Lewis, Baking, Fluff and Smut, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-10-09 09:19:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10408941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiagirlagain/pseuds/georgiagirlagain
Summary: Darcy hummed as she measured out the ingredients with practiced ease. This recipe was by far her favorite, even if it did take more time to make from scratch.She heard Steve arguing good-naturedly with Nat and Bucky as they came around the corner into the common area kitchen.I’m not sayin’ it’s not possible, punk, just that it’s very unlikely.”“All I’m sayin’ is that the taste is too consistent to be from a big bake shop. It’s gotta be one person,” Steve said as he reached into the cabinet beside Darcy. She may have snuck a peek or two at all those lovely muscles on display as his shirt rode up. Who wouldn’t?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Hollyspacey for being my beta and talking me through all the worrying and hand-wringing I was going through starting this.

Chapter 1

 

Darcy hummed as she measured out the ingredients with practiced ease. This recipe was by far her favorite, even if it did take more time to make from scratch. 

 

She heard Steve arguing good-naturedly with Nat and Bucky as they came around the corner into the common area kitchen.

 

“I’m not sayin’ it’s not possible, punk, just that it’s very unlikely.”

 

“All I’m sayin’ is that the taste is too consistent to be from a big bake shop. It’s gotta be one person,” Steve said as he reached into the cabinet beside Darcy. She may have snuck a peek or two at all those lovely muscles on display as his shirt rode up. Who wouldn’t?

 

“What are you two chewing over now? I swear, if you’re not bickering about something you’re not happy.”

 

Nat answered her, since Bucky and Steve were still a little shy around her at first. “I just took them to Nora’s Diner in town for the first time. I think they may have gotten attached to the three different kinds of pie they had for dessert.”

 

Steve’s ears turned pink as he spoke. “It reminds me of the pie Bucky’s ma used to make. I haven’t had pie that good since I woke up from the ice.”

 

“I couldn’t tell, Steve. You only ate four slices,” Nat shot her a quick wink from her seat at the bar where she was watching Darcy roll out the pie dough.

 

Bucky was slouched over in the corner next to the fridge. “It’s damn good, but I’ll have to take your word on it tasting like my Ma’s. That memory hasn’t surfaced yet, probably never will.” 

 

Darcy shot Bucky a sympathetic look. “I’ve eaten there a few times, but I’m usually too full to have any dessert, although I’m sure that’s not a problem for you two.” 

 

“One of the many benefits of the serum, doll,” Bucky replied. He looked hopefully at the five other pies already cooling. 

 

“Oh, no. I know that look, James Buchanan Barnes, and that pie is not for anybody in this compound. You touch it, and I’ll reprogram your shiny new arm to braid knots in your hair,” Darcy threatened.

 

Steve snickered from his seat next to Nat as Bucky pouted. “Is that all you're making today? Just pie?” There was more than just a hint of begging in his voice to go with the pitiful puppy eyes he was aiming in her direction.

 

Darcy glanced up as she was crimping the edge of the pie dough. “No, you shameless mooch. I’m also making white chocolate macadamia nut cookies after this is done. By then, Janie will back from her day out with Thor, so I wouldn’t stray too far if you want any. You know how much food Thor can put away in the blink of an eye.” 

 

“C’mon Stevie, let’s go to the gym so we can spar while she bakes,” Bucky tossed over his shoulder as he left the room. Steve followed with a parting glance in Darcy’s direction that only Nat noticed.

 

Darcy paused before she licked the spoon she had used to pour the filling onto the pie dough. “Are they actually sparring or is that code for something else?”

 

Nat grinned as she ran her finger around the edge of the bowl. “With those two, there’s no telling. Probably both. Why? You thinking about making yourself the filling in a supersoldier sandwich?”

 

Darcy blushed all the way to her toes. “Was I that obvious?”

 

“Only to me, golubka*. Those two don’t notice much that’s not right in front of their noses lately.”

 

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. “I guess that’s understandable after everything that’s happened. I’d be a little oblivious too if I was still adjusting to living together after a lifetime apart.”

 

Natasha listened as Darcy kept talking while she set the last pie in the oven and began measuring out the ingredients for cookies. “I wouldn’t want to get in between those two after all they’ve been through. But a girl can dream.”

 

A ghost of a smile was all that gave away Natasha’s scheming as she said, “Yes, she can.”


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Steve walked into the common area to find Darcy valiantly trying to muscle a box roughly the size she was into the kitchen. Her hair was falling out its bun, her face was flushed, and she was cussing up a storm.

 

“Stupid fucking delivery man. On every other damned day he shows up when I can get Thor to haul this in here, but oh no! Not today! Today he’s got to be three hours late because his raggedy ass truck broke down.” 

 

She gave a surprised squeak as Steve came up beside her and grabbed the box she was struggling with. “Jesus, doll, why didn’t you just call me or Buck to help you? You know we don’t mind.”

 

“I was trying to be Wonder Woman, if you must know,” Darcy replied as she brushed her hair out of her face. “I didn’t want to bother you two.”

 

“It’s no bother.”

 

“I’ll bet, muscle-man. Put it over by the pantry, please.”

 

“What’s in this thing, anyway, Darce? It smells like strawberries.”

 

“Can’t put one over on you, can I Captain? It is strawberries, and some other stuff too.”

 

Bucky waltzed in just as Steve was trying to get the pantry door open, his hair still damp from a post-workout shower. Between the two of them they managed to get the box set down in the middle of the pantry.

 

“Tony needs to see us in the lab, punk. Said he’s got some improvements for you to check out on your uniform and some tweaking to do on my arm.”

 

“You need any more help, Darce? I don’t mind making Stark wait for a few minutes.” 

 

“I think I can handle it from here, but thank you,” Darcy replied as she rose up on her tiptoes to kiss Steve on the cheek. He immediately turned a bright shade of red. “I’ve got to head that way too in a little bit, as soon as I put this stuff up.”

 

“What about me, doll? I helped too,” Bucky said as he turned his face and bent down a little so she could reach him easier.

 

Darcy quirked an eyebrow at him and patted his cheek. “I only kiss cheeks when heavy stuff is lifted for me, Barnes.”

 

He huffed as he followed Steve out the door, “Well then, let me know next time so I can do the hard work and get my reward.”


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky startled awake as F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke to him. “Mr. Barnes, Miss Lewis has requested your assistance at the front gate.”

“Did she say what she needed?”

“No, sir. Only that your assistance was required in a non-emergency fashion.”

“Who the hell needs assistance at six-thirty in the morning? Except for Steve and Sam, those two crazy fuckers get up way too early to run in circles. And all they need is mental help. The sun isn’t even up yet,” Bucky grumbled as he threw on a t-shirt and some sweats.

Darcy was once again hidden behind a mountain of a box by the time Bucky made it to the front entrance of the facility.

“I thought you said to meet you at the front gate,” Bucky asked as he took the box from Darcy and hoisted it onto his right shoulder.

Darcy did her level best not to stare as the plates shifted and rearranged. “Me? I didn’t ask you to meet me anywhere. Not that I don’t appreciate the help. For some reason the delivery guy seems to keep picking days when Thor is off-world, or too busy keeping Janey horizontal to help.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. woke me up and said you asked for help at the front gate.” 

Darcy thought he looked all kinds of adorable with sleep-tousled hair and eyes that weren’t all the way open yet. “I was too busy trying to figure out why my deliveries all seem to be caddywhompus to think about asking you or Steve for help.” Darcy looked thoughtful as they waited for the elevator. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., who asked for Bucky’s assistance this morning?”

“You did, Miss Lewis.”

Darcy’s eyes narrowed as they shuffled into the elevator. “No, I didn’t. I smell a rat, and I’ve got a good idea who stinks.”

Bucky just gave a sleepy half smile in her direction. “At least this way I get a kiss for helping you instead of Stevie.”

Darcy just smiled back as she blushed lightly. “Payment for a job well done.”

After the box had found its spot in the pantry again, Darcy pulled Bucky down to her height and kissed him on the cheek with a loud smack. “Never let it be said that I don’t keep my word.” And if she lingered a little longer than was strictly necessary, who was keeping track? “Would you like some breakfast since you’re up already?”

“If it’s something you baked, absolutely, doll,” Bucky replied.

“I’ve got some muffins leftover from yesterday. Blueberry, chocolate chip, and maple bacon. I’m not sure how they survived this long, but let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. You want coffee too?”

“Are Steve’s shirts too tight?”

“That’s a yes, then.” Darcy looked up as she was programming Stark’s entirely too fancy coffee machine. “Does he even own a shirt that fits right? Not that I’m complaining, but sometimes I worry about his circulation.”

“I haven’t seen one yet. I think he secretly likes showing off a little. He was so skinny and sickly before the war that everything hung off of him. I catch him staring at himself in the mirror sometimes, and every time he’ll blush crimson and try to pretend he wasn’t.”  
Darcy set the basket of muffins down on the bar along with the cream and sugar. “He’s too cute when he blushes. All those good Irish genes at work.”

Bucky glanced up at her as she set the coffee cups down. “So are your deliveries always this early?”

“Usually. Tom, the delivery guy, likes to start out here where it’s closest to his farm and work his way towards town. I’m used to getting up early so that I can have some alone time in the lab without Jane bothering me, so it works out well. Thor likes to be up with the sun, so normally he meets me out at the gate and hauls the boxes in. You’ve lucked out, normally there’s at least two more boxes to bring in.” Darcy arched an eyebrow at him over her coffee cup. “You must not be much of a morning person. I never run into you in the kitchen until closer to lunchtime.”

Bucky shook his head as he swallowed his first bite of bacony-muffin goodness. “I’m usually up late, for one reason or another. I used to like mornings, but it’s a lot quieter around here at night. Easier for me to spend time in the gym or go for a run around the compound.”

“I’ve noticed most of the team gets up early. Not as early as Steve and Sam, but Clint is usually in here soon. Nat’s the only one that sleeps as late as you do. She says the world looks better after you give it time to shake off the sleep and put on some mascara.”

Bucky smirked at her. “Steve tried waking Nat up for a sparring session a few weeks ago. It’s a good thing he heals so quickly, she never misses with those throwing knives. I don’t think he’ll try that again any time soon.”

Clint stumbled in a few minutes later and went straight for the carafe of coffee Darcy had set up for him. After downing a few gulps he looked around and noticed the two sitting at the bar. “Mornin’. Are there any blueberry ones left? Those are my favorite.”

Darcy handed him the basket with two blueberry muffins left. “Help yourself. Barnes has already eaten four.”

“They really hit the spot too,” Bucky said as he gave a lopsided grin in Clint’s direction.

“Pigs. All of you are pigs. And inconsiderate pigs too, which is worse,” Clint mumbled around half a muffin he had stuffed in his mouth.  
“Who’s an inconsiderate pig? Oh, never mind. I didn’t see Barnes sitting there,” Sam snarked as he came in.

“That’s a hell of an insult comin’ from a guy that ate the last four cupcakes a week ago and tried to hide the wrappers,” Bucky shot back.

“Cupcakes? What cupcakes? Oh, you mean those delicious chocolate cherry works of art? Those were delicious. Too bad you were too slow to get any, Barnes.”

“Mr. Barnes, sir has requested your presence in the lab. He has another update for your arm that he would like to install.”

“Hold on a second, Bucky,” Darcy said before she downed the last of her coffee. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., when was the last time Stark left the lab?”

“Fourteen hours ago, Miss Lewis. He hasn’t eaten in over twelve”, the A.I. responded with an exasperated tone to her voice. “He ignored Miss Potts when she called earlier.”

“That’s what I thought. Please save and close down all open programs and turn the coffee machine off for the next ten hours.”

Sam and Bucky exchanged knowing looks as Darcy kept talking to F.R.I.D.A.Y. as she left the kitchen. “And please redirect any phone calls and texts for the next ten hours as well.” She paused in the doorway. “Thanks for the help this morning, Bucky.”

“Not a problem, doll. Have fun wrestlin’ Stark out of the lab.”


	4. chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to hollyspacey for being my beta and letting me bounce ideas off of her!

“C’mon, you know I didn't mean to, Darce! I didn't think it would actually fire!” Tony was steadily backing up with his hands up in front of him as Darcy advanced with a murderous look on her face.

“Anthony Edward Stark, if you step foot in this kitchen again before I finish baking I’ll tell Pepper about what you did to her favorite pair of Louboutin’s!,” Darcy threatened as she chased Tony out of the kitchen with a rolled up kitchen towel. With a final snap of her towel to his bare arm, Darcy turned back around to survey the damage.

Flour was everywhere. Every surface was coated in white, and the ceramic crock she kept it in was smashed on the floor in a billion pieces. 

“He’ll be lucky if I don’t tell her anyway. Why the hell he can’t wait until he’s allowed back in the labs is beyond me. Aggravating, self-absorbed, juvenile, fifty year old dumbass with the attention span of a gnat!”

“Billionaire playboy philanthropist strikes again, huh?” Nat surveyed the damage with an arched eyebrow from the kitchen island. “It’s a shame we can’t release him back into the wild with all the other dumbasses. I think at this point he’s too domesticated.”

“Don’t tease me with dreams that can’t come true, Nat.” Darcy’s shoulders slumped. “Now I don’t have enough flour to fill the order I usually send to the diner. Nora’s gonna be disappointed, but she’ll have to wait a day until I can get more flour. I should make Tony apologize to her in person, but I wouldn’t want to make her suffer any more than necessary.”

“Good thinking, Darce. Have a little mercy on the poor woman.” Nat glanced into the pot on the stove as she crossed the kitchen to retrieve a broom. “What’s in the pot?”

“It’s part of the filling for the tarte aux pommes I’m making. I haven’t made one in a while, and I saw an old episode of The French Chef this morning. I’m making two, if you want some later.” Darcy gave a small smile in Nat’s direction as she wiped the flour off the counters. “Tony’s lucky I already had the flour measured out for the tarte or I’d do worse than sic Pepper on him.”

“I have to meet a friend in town in a little while, but I’ll swing through when I come back. I wouldn’t miss a chance at some of your baking.”

After shooting an email off to Nora to let her know about the delay, Darcy resumed the baking that had been so rudely interrupted by someone accidentally firing off a repulsor blast at her flour crock.

Steve ambled in a while later, sniffing the air hopefully. “Hey Darce. Whatever you’re baking smells fantastic! It kinda reminds me of the pie at Nora’s a few days ago.”

“Well, if you wanna wait around a few minutes you can try a slice. It’s almost cooled enough to eat.”

A grin split Steve’s face. “I wouldn’t turn that offer down for a million bucks.”

“I told Nat about it when she helped me clean up the unholy mess Tony made earlier, but she must have gotten hung up in town.”  
“More for me then!” A small frown came across Steve’s face. “What kind of mess did Tony make this time?”

“Oh, he just decided my flour crock would make a great target for his repulsor. I kicked him out of the labs yesterday morning and I haven’t unlocked them yet, so he unearthed one of his old experiments from the warehouse and was tinkering with it in the common room. You know how he is. He doesn’t mean to cause chaos, it just follows him around like a boomerang.”

“Sounds like Tony. It’s a shame he broke your container, though. I remember you saying you found it in a novelty store.”

“Yeah, it was one I found when I first got to New Mexico. It wasn’t anything special, but it was easy to scoop out of and easy to wash and it didn’t weigh a ton.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll find another one eventually.”

Steve looked thoughtful as Darcy cut and plated a slice of tarte. “Why do you bake so much?”

Darcy regarded him carefully as she plated his slice. “It’s mostly stress relief. My grandma used to let me help her in the kitchen. I learned early, and it’s just an easy way to shut out all the other problems I’ve got and focus on the baking.”

“Sounds like my drawing. The world just kind of fades out for a while and you can relax.”

“Bingo, Steve-O.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “You’re almost as bad as Tony with the nicknames.” 

“What can I say? He annoys the hell out of me, but in many ways he’s my brother from another mother.”

Steve let out a small moan of happiness as he chewed his first bite. “This is fantastic, Darcy! It tastes so familiar, but I’m having a hard time placing it.” Darcy could see the wheels turning as he devoured the rest of the slice. “I know! It reminds me of the pie I had at Nora’s!”

Darcy turned a light shade of pink. “It should. I bake all the pies she sells.”

“Why didn’t you say so before? That’s the best pie I’ve had in a long time!”

“I try to keep a low profile on the baking awesomeness. Nora doesn’t know it’s me baking them, she just knows the company name. I don’t want to take advantage of the Avenger’s name so I try to keep it separate.”

Steve smiled at her.“Your secret is safe with me, doll. I’m guessing Nat knows? She seems to know everything.”

“Nat, Clint, and Thor. Clint makes the deliveries for me in some of his super secret spy outfits so Nora won’t recognize him. They all figured it out in New Mexico. Jane helped me come up with the company name.”

“Kiss My Pie sounds like something you two would think up.” Steve smiled at her mischievously. “I wonder how long it’ll take Bucky to figure it out? Not much gets past him for too long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr if you like!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! It's a Christmas miracle! I'm hoping for another update before the new year. *fingers crossed *

Bucky stopped abruptly in his jog around the compound. Steve preferred to run laps in the gym, but Bucky found it too repetitive. On the nights his brain wouldn’t let him sleep, he jogged a path around the perimeter, near the wood line. The quiet helped calm his nerves.

The common room kitchen light was on, casting square patterns onto the lawn through the windows. He could see Darcy moving around inside, dancing to a beat he couldn’t hear. Deciding to call it quits for the night, Bucky circled around to the gym and took a quick shower.

Darcy was in the middle of dusting flour on her rolling pin when she saw Bucky leaning in the doorway, hair still damp from a shower and making a sleeveless shirt and pair of sweats look sinful. “Couldn’t sleep, Sarge?”

Bucky eyed the pie tins Darcy had lined up on the counter and the flour smears on her face. “Nightmare woke me up and I never get back to sleep after one of those. What kind of pie are you making?”

“Half of them are bourbon pecan, half are lemon meringue. Don’t tell Tony, but I stole a bottle of his best bourbon to make the pies. I thought I still had some, but I couldn’t find it.”

“I doubt Stark will even miss it. Do you decide what to bake on a whim or does Nora make requests?”

Darcy grinned. “I was wondering if you’d figured it out yet. It took Steve a little while to connect the dots.” She glanced at Bucky as she rolled out the dough. “I take requests, but I don’t always honor them, depending on if the ingredients are in season. Strawberry pie is a favorite year round, but I only make it in the spring and early summer. It tastes best when I can get good local ingredients. Nora has figured that part out, and I don’t get many out of season requests from her anymore.”

Bucky eyed all the ingredients laid out on the counter. “Stevie told me about how you learned to bake from your grandma. Can I help any?”

“Sure! That pile of lemons needs squeezing. That’ll save me from having to get out the juicer.”

Darcy watched as Bucky cut all the lemons in half and proceeded to squeeze the juice out with his prosthetic arm. “That’s an efficient way to do it.”

“It’s good for more than punching Steve when we’re sparring” Bucky paused his lemon juicing. “Was your grandma a professional baker?”

“She took care of the baking part of the catering company she co-owned with Grandpa. He loved to cook, but couldn’t wrap his head around baking, and she was never good at cooking. They taught me everything they know.”

“Did they raise you?”

“For the most part. Family services took me from my mom when I was two, and she disappeared after that. They both died in a car accident during my sophomore year at Columbia.” Darcy blinked her eyes to clear them and decided a subject change was in order. “You made quick work of those lemons! Would you mind chopping those pecans for me too?”

Bucky followed along with the change of topic. He certainly was no stranger to touchy subjects. “No problem, doll. Anytime you need help, let me know. I don’t sleep much, so I have a lot of free time. I used to help my ma in the kitchen sometimes. This helps bring back some good memories.”

Darcy smiled softly at him. “I’m glad. I’ll save a pie for you since you helped me. Which one is your favorite?”

“Lemon meringue. I like some bite with my sweet. Makes it more interesting.” He put the knife down and leaned across the counter toward her. “Do I get a kiss on the cheek, too?”

Darcy decided to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she met him halfway. Nothing wrong with a little flirting, was there? She could feel the stubble as she pressed her lips to his cheek.

Bucky grinned at the slight flush in Darcy's cheeks as she retreated to her side of the counter. He still had it, even if he was a little rusty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on Tumblr @georgiagirlagain. I'm going to update some previous chapters this week with some minor changes, but nothing that affects the plot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but there will be more soon! Thanks to Dresupi for betaing!

“Look, Capsicle, I didn’t mean to blow up her flour crock. I've already ordered a new for her. She got it a few days ago.”  
“Tony, just buying her a replacement isn’t enough. We all kind of take advantage of Darcy around here, and I think it would nice to show some appreciation. I’ve already run this idea by Bucky, and he’s agreed. We just need your engineering help.”  
“What did you have in mind? I can add some neat features to it, like humidity control and an automated order feature for when she runs low on flour…..”  
“Tony.”  
“….and if we make a whole set of them I could add different features for different ingredients...”  
Steve raised his voice slightly louder. “Tony!”  
“...what, Spangle-pants?”  
“Buck and I are still drawing up the design, but we should be done soon. You can add your engineering touch then.”  
“Arts and crafts day at the nursing home, huh? Sounds like a fun date for you and McMurder Thighs.”  
“I'll bring the specs to you as soon as we're done.” Steve turned on his heel and left the lab. He shot a small smile at Darcy through the glass wall of her office as he strode down the hall.  
“That was a quick visit,” Darcy called through her open office door. “Not that I blame you, Tony can wear out even the most patient of people in no time.”  
“No kidding! Sometimes I wonder if he deliberately ignores me when I start a sentence or if his brain just doesn’t register that someone else is speaking.”  
“He’s almost completely deaf in his left ear, so if you try talking to him when you’re on his left side he doesn’t hear you. He wears a hearing aid most of the time, but when he’s in the lab he takes it out.”  
A look of surprise crossed Steve’s face. “I didn't think that anybody else knew besides the team.”  
“I figured it out when I first moved to the tower with Jane. And it still doesn’t explain everything. He does have a serious case of what I call shiny idea syndrome.” Darcy laughed at the confused look on Steve’s face. “You know…he can’t concentrate on anything else except the shiny new idea in his head. All of the Brain Dream Team have it. Don’t say anything to him though, he doesn’t know that I know. I think it’s a little embarrassing to him.”  
Steve mimed zipping his lips. “Yes ma'am. My lips are sealed.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Buck, we have plenty of time to figure out the coloring on this thing. All I’m trying to do right now is sketch out our initial idea.”  
“Fine. But you’re still mucking up the shape of the lips. Darcy’s lips don’t look like that.”  
“Trust me, I know what her lips look like, OK? This is an old drawing I dug out from my sketchbook I had during the war. Those are Peg’s lips. I was gonna change ‘em.”  
Bucky grinned. “So you’ve been staring at Darce’s lips, huh? I’d be jealous if I hadn’t been doing the same thing.”  
“We’re both head over heels. Now if we could just dig up some courage and ask her out we might not start growing feathers like the chickens we are.”  
Nat peeked at the drawing over their shoulder. “The only reason she hasn’t noticed you two mooning over her is because she’s just as busy making heart eyes at you on the sly. You idiots are going to give me gray hair at the rate that you’re obviously pining after each other.” She picked up one of the discarded pieces of paper on the coffee table. “I like this one the best. It reminds me of the pin-up girls from the 40’s. If you add a pie to her right hand and put the company logo around the top, I think you’ve got a winner.”  
“You think she likes us?” Steve busied himself with straightening up the discarded drawings, trying to hide the hopeful expression in his eyes.  
Nat smirked at him. “Trust me. I know things.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on Tumblr!


	7. chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Dresupi for betaing this for me and turning it into something that makes sense.

Darcy knew something was up. Tony wouldn't let her into the back part of his lab, and Bucky and Steve were avoiding her. They still said hello at breakfast, but the friendliness she had become used to was lacking. If she didn't know better, she'd think they were hiding something. She was sure Tony was. The man may be a billionaire genius playboy philanthropist, but he couldn't keep a secret to save his life. At least from her.

Darcy looked up from her mug of tea as Natasha came into the common room.“Nat, something is going on. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm imagining things.”

“I'm all ears, golubka*. You know I keep telling you to trust your instincts.”

“I know something is going on with Tony. He's a genius, but he hasn't figured out yet how to lie to me. I'll get it out of him eventually. It's Bucky and Steve that have me curious. It seems like they're trying to avoid me. They still speak to me at breakfast, but they don't hang around anymore. I don't know if they're tired of me or if they're trying to hide something with Tony.”

“When is Tony not up to something? As for Steve and Bucky, maybe they're just shy. I'm surprised you haven't caught them staring at you like love-struck teenagers.” Darcy choked on her tea. Patting her on the back, Nat continued. “Bucky is a little rusty around women, and Steve never had any game to start off with. I feel like I'm in a high school movie where the main characters are all obliviously in love with one another. Steve's the football jock, Bucky's the bad boy with a sensitive side, and you,” Nat gestured at Darcy with her coffee cup, “are the nice girl with glasses that turns into a bombshell at the prom. Add in some hormonal acne and blossoming sex drives and it would be a John Hughes wet dream.”

Darcy just grinned at Nat. “You read way too much into what amounts to them just being nice to me.”

Clint strolled in and frowned at the empty coffee pot before turning to Darcy. “Nice doesn't explain why they go out of their way to help you bring in deliveries. Bucky won't get out of bed early unless there's an invasion, and Steve is religious enough about his gym routine that he schedules team meetings around his workouts, but they take turns waiting with you for deliveries at fuck-early o'clock in the morning.” Clint waggled his eyebrows as he filled the reservoir on the coffeemaker. “Bucky told Thor he could keep Jane in bed later now since he doesn't have to get up to haul in the groceries.”

Nat swatted Clint's hand away from her coffee cup as he sat down at the table. “She has been in a remarkably good mood lately.”

Darcy snickered. “I bet the meteorologists on the local news are scratching their heads trying to figure out why we're having so many spontaneous thunderstorms lately.”

“So, are we discussing the elephant-sized crush Freedom Fries and Sergeant Snowflake have on you? And more importantly, why is there no more coffee? You know the rules, Nat. You empty it, you make more.”

“Remember that next time you decide to eat all the pancakes before I come down for breakfast. You're lucky all I did was neglect to make more coffee. The last time Wilson acted like a pig and ate all the french toast, I painted his wings bright pink and yellow.”

Clint grinned. “That was hilarious. Cap didn't think so, but it worked out in the end. Wilson successfully distracted those Hydra goons and the rest of the mission went off without a hitch. And quit deflecting. What gives?”

Darcy sighed. "I was talking to Nat about my super soldier dilemma. They're being squirrelly and I don't know why."

Nat gave Clint a look that had the archer rethinking his nosy questions. “I'm sure they're just trying to figure out how to ask you out. Give it some time.”

Clint took the hint. “C'mon Nat. I have to see Tony about some arrows. He pays attention better if you're in the room.”

 

Bucky and Steve were already in the lab when Nat and Clint arrived. Tony was putting the final layer of sealant to waterproof the illustrations on the canisters. “It will take about two hours for this to dry completely, and it'll be dishwasher safe. They're completely Stark-proofed. I think the Hulk could slam them into the dirt, and they won't scratch or dent.”

“It's a good thing we're happy with the results, Stevie. They'll be digging these out of the ground like Roman ruins in two thousand years.”

Tony looked insulted. “Ruins? They'll still look like new, thank you very much.” The thingamabob beeped as it finished. “I hope you've managed to coach Captain Spangles on how to ask out a girl, Frosty. You don't have much longer to come up with a game plan. Darcy already knows something's up, she was in here earlier this morning, and she could tell I was trying to keep her out of the back.”

“You can con a rosary off of a nun, but for some reason you can't lie to Darcy. Maybe those are her superpowers. Single handedly keeping you in line and baking awesome stuff.” Clint bent down to inspect the canisters. “You did a great job on the design, Stark.”

Tony looked entirely too pleased with himself. “I'm insulted that you sound surprised, Katniss. I tried to think of everything a baker would need out of a state of the art storage system. It's got humidity control, automatic reorder, and voice activated measuring system. And, just for flair, it changes colors by voice command too.”

Steve looked amused. “You outdid yourself, Tony. All we had in mind was something durable and lightweight.”

“Anybody could do that. I specialize in the unexpected.” Tony preened while cleaning up his workstation. “What's your plan for the date Darcy's gonna say yes to?”

Steve shook his head. “If we tell everybody in the room, it won't stay quiet for more than thirty seconds. You'll find out later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr (georgiagirlagain over there too!).
> 
> *Golubka - dove in Russian. Or so Google translate says.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first adventure into writing for MCU, so be gentle! Comments appreciated!
> 
> *golubka - Russian for little dove


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